Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Obesity and weight control

The State of Obesity 2023: Better Policies for a Healthier America
Presents the latest data available on adult and childhood obesity rates, with breakdowns by state and select demographic characteristics. Examines key current and emerging policies, provides funding opportunities, and outlines recommended policy actions. Includes a special feature that examines obesity trends over the past 20 years.
Author(s): Molly Warren, Madison West, Stacy Beck
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
view details
Racial Disparities in Obesity‐Related Cardiovascular Mortality in the United States: Temporal Trends From 1999 to 2020
Examines disparities in obesity-related cardiovascular mortality in U.S. citizens from 1999 to 2020. Utilizes the Multiple Cause of Death database to analyze mortality trends by race, sex, age, and rural versus urban residence.
Author(s): Zahra Raisi‐Estabragh, Ofer Kobo, Jennifer H. Mieres, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American Heart Association
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
view details
Respecting Tribal Voices in the Development of a Gestational Diabetes Risk Reduction Preconception Counseling Program for American Indian/Alaska Native Adolescent Females: A Qualitative Study
Investigates the relationship among obesity, pregnancy, and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and the impact on American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) adolescents. Provides feedback from AI/AN girls at-risk for GDM and their mothers regarding culturally relevant preconception counseling interventions.
Author(s): Kelly R. Moore, Sarah A. Stotz, Martha Ann Terry, et al.
Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 23, 552
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
view details
New Mexico State-Tribal Collaboration Act Agency Report 2023
Summarizes collaboration between New Mexico state agencies and tribal nations in New Mexico regarding current public health priorities, including COVID-19, substance use disorder, homelessness, and cancer. Identifies resources available for American Indians from each New Mexico department and activities and funding for the fiscal year 2023, covering community health workers, cancer, diabetes, suicide prevention, and more.
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: New Mexico Department of Health
view details
Changes in Physical Inactivity Among US Adults Overall and by Sociodemographic Characteristics, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2020 Versus 2018
Analyzes changes in physical activity in U.S. adults during the COVID-19 pandemic by comparing 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data to 2018 and 2016 data. Focuses on prevalence of physical inactivity according to age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income, and rural versus urban geographic location.
Author(s): Miriam E. Van Dyke, Tiffany J. Chen, Jasmine Y. Nakayama, Latetia V. Moore, Geoffrey P. Whitfield
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 20
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details
COVID-19 Working Paper: Obesity Prevalence Among U.S. Adult Subpopulations During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Explores obesity disparities among adults before the COVID-19 pandemic and during the first year of the pandemic. Uses data from the 2011-2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to estimate changes in obesity rates and compares rates across demographic and socioeconomic subgroups, including urban-rural status, Census region, age group, race and ethnicity, and more.
Author(s): Mariah D. Ehmke, Brandon J. Restrepo
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
view details
Self-Assessed Health Status and Obesity Vulnerability in Rural Louisiana: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
Examines the self-assessed health of rural residents in Louisiana utilizing the obesity vulnerability index, which factors in gender, race, education, caregiver status, exercise, and grocery store choice as potential risk factors for obesity. Provides 2021 data of residents from 3 rural counties, with obesity vulnerability index indicators broken down by fair, good, or excellent health status.
Author(s): Santosh Pathak, Hua Wang, Katherine Seals, Naveen C. Adusumilli, Denise Holston
Citation: PLoS One, 18(6)
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
view details
Rural Healthy People 2030: Common Challenges, Rural Nuances
Policy brief reporting the findings of Rural Healthy People 2030, a companion piece to the Healthy People 2030 initiative with a focus on health priorities of rural populations. Features statistics including the top 20 Rural Healthy People priorities with breakdowns by census region, Medicaid expansion status, gender, age, race, and field of employment.
Author(s): Morgan Kassabian, Aakriti Shrestha, Timothy Callaghan, et al.
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
view details
Addressing Food Insecurity in Rural Tennessee
A podcast that discusses local hospitals in rural Hardeman County, Tennessee that collaborated to improve access to healthy food for citizens who were experiencing food insecurity and a lack of transportation to grocery stores. Includes information on a community health needs assessment, data exploration, obesity rates, use of grant funds to address health and wellness, and more.
Author(s): Tom Haederle, John Supplitt, Ruby Kirby
Date: 05/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
view details
Madison Medical Center Hospital Spotlight
Discusses how the Delta Region Community Health Systems Development Program helped Madison Medical Center use health outcome data and community partnerships to launch an initiative to address high obesity rates.
Date: 05/2023
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
view details